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We can teach you about beekeeping and get you started

From April to the end of September we run apiary sessions for our members every Thursday evening. If you would like to come along for a taster session please contact one of the people on the Contact Us page.

New members are welcome at our monthly indoor meetings, which are held from September to March.

Basic Course: This course consists of six evening lectures and four weekend practical sessions. The subjects covered are: natural history of the honey bee, beekeeping principles and practice, equipment and clothingdisease poisoning and pests, manipulation of a honey bee colony. Further details can be found here.

Honey Bee Health Course (£50 – Saturday 4th May 2019): This course covers bee diseases including management of varroa and practical experience of shook swarm, bailey comb change, use of LFD, sampling bees for microscope examination, and performing full disease check. It is an ideal course for anyone considering taking the BBKA Bee Health Certification. This course is aim at those who are at a level where they have passed or could pass their BBKA basic assessment. To apply click here.

Queen Rearing Course (£50 – Saturday 8th June 2019): This course is intended as an introduction to queen rearing and is particularly suited to those who have 4 to 12 colonies. We shall spend the morning going though the theory of selection, hive requirements, a couple of set up options, and the Miller method of queen raising. In the afternoon, we shall put into practice what we have learned including how to assess a hive, one method of setting up a hive for queen rearing, making up nucs, and introducing queen cells. This course is aimed at those who are at a level where they have passed or could pass their BBKA basic assessment. To apply click here.

Microscopy Course £70 (Saturday and Sunday, 13th & 14th July 2019): This 2 day course course covers the theory and practice of microscope setup, making pollen slides, Acarine and Nosema disease diagnosis, bee dissection, and first steps in mounting bee parts on slides. All microscopy equipment is provided for the course. Open to all but should you be exam minded it follows the syllabus of the BBKA Microscope Certificate. To apply click here.

Our Honey show took place on the 6th October at the Main Place in Coleford. A good enjoyable day was had by all, helped out greatly with the excellent lunch provided by Rosemary.

Dave Sutton, our Honey Judge, provided open judging with lots of tips and tricks which was especially appreciated by our candidates taking module 2 this November. The most keenly contested class was the light honey with approx. 20 entries, first prize was taken by Di Webb but it was especially pleasing to see the branch honey come in 2nd. The best honey inshow was the entry in the novice class, so even the beginners can win the big prices. Our thanks also to Malcolm Cooper for judging the cakes which we sampled afterwards and were delicious. The cups were awarded asfollows.

The Apis mellifera Cup for the best honey in Show to Corrine May

The Major Noel Cup for the best exhibit in Show to Andy Gregory for ‘Frame Suitable for Extraction’

The Lydney Apiary Tray for the winner of Class 8 to Corrine May for ‘Best Cake’

The Phil Phelps Cup for the best wax in Show to Di Webb

The Chairman’s Cup for the entrant with the most points from all the classes to Andy Gregory

Dean Forest Beekeepers would like to congratulate the following members on passing the BBKA Basic Certificate this summer:

Sarah James

Anna Stankiewicz

Simon Preest

Paul Jones

Kerry Wynn

Corinne May

Passing the Basic Assessment demonstrates proficiency at all the things which new beekeepers need to know and provides self confidence that your skills and knowledge are on the right track. It is the gateway to other BBKA practical assessments and knowledge modules.

Should any other members wish to take the BBKA Basic Assessment please discuss with a group leader.

We all had a fabulous time at the 2018 Bee Safari with everyone learning inside tips and tricks for reading colonies.

Our warmest thanks go to Marin Anastassov who led us through a number of colony inspections with a focus on what the bees are telling us about the state of the colony before and during our inspections. Without inspecting the record cards beforehand we were able to identify a swarm that had been hived up 4-5 weeks earlier, drone laying queens, laying workers, strong well established colonies, and many other colony conditions. We also checked the status of queen rearing in Apideas and the nucs created from a swarm box.

It is always fascinating to see others people’s apiaries and bees and we are very grateful to Peter Emery and Jim & Val Vivian-Griffiths for hosting us.

We’d like to congratulate all the students who have just completed our 2018 Basic Beekeeping Course.

The six winter theory sessions (in the snow) and four practical sessions (in the sun) provided you with all the information you need to get started in beekeeping and will stand you in good stead when you decide to take the BBKA Basic Certification (hint!)

We’ve been really impressed with you as a group and hope you will join us on our Thursday evening apiary sessions to continue learning and making friends. We’re always here to answer questions and enjoy a chat.

Finally, a big thank you to our excellent team of trainers for giving up so much time in the peak of the beekeeping calendar. It would be impossible without you!

On Saturday 26th May, seven of our members took time out from their own bees to attend our Honey Bee Health course led by Jim Vivian-Griffiths, Val Vivian-Griffiths, and Adam Parker (all Master Beekeepers). This course helps beekeepers improve their understanding and practice of beekeeping and aligns to the syllabus of the new BBKA Honey Bee Health Certification.

During the morning Jim shared his knowledge and experience of the current and possible future pest and disease threats facing honeybees. The monitoring and control of Varroa is one of the key elements discussed given its ability to damage brood and act as a vector for the spread of viruses.

In the afternoon, Jim, Val, and Adam led practical sessions covering Shook Swarm, Bailey Comb Change, and Disease Inspection techniques to help them manage issues and keep their bees healthy. The students were able to attempt the manipulations with expert assistance and view a number of colonies which have had the same treatments during recent weeks to see how the colonies develop afterwards.

Many thanks to Rosemary Snowdon for providing a lovely ploughman’s lunch and spoiling us as usual.

Feedback on the course includes:

“essential for anyone who wants to keep healthy and productive bees”“the content was well researched, knowledgeable and thoroughly up to date”“I highly recommend the 1 day ‘Bee Health’ course delivered by the team”“I have no hesitation in recommending this course for value, content and experience”

The Tom Swaine Cup was awarded at the GBKA AGM to the team that worked on the new exhibition stand. Three of the winners are Dean Forest Beekeepers members Krysia Kolodziejek, Dave Kennedy, and Angie Horlick, the other team member being Mike Hunt who is GBKA President.

Please join me in both thanking them for their fantastic contributions and congratulating them on receipt of this award.

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